2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600

Driving and being driven in the lap of luxury.

Daimler is proud of its Mercedes-Benz S-class: The luxury sedan is not only a technology leader, it also outsells the Audi A8 and the BMW 7-series combined. What a contrast to the Maybach 57 and 62, which launched in 2002 and then languished largely unchanged for more than 10 years. Based on the W140 S-class, the Maybach was already somewhat outdated even when new. And its sales were a disappointment—which we know because the company unwisely revealed sales projections that the car ultimately missed by a margin roughly the size of the Grand Canyon.

In creating a hyperluxury sedan this time around, Daimler played it safe—and in the process it created a much better car. The new Mercedes-Maybach S600 is a Mercedes-Benz S600 with an extra 7.9 inches of wheelbase and an unprecedented level of equipment. It will cost just over half as much as the previous Maybach, which retailed for $379,000 in 2013, although there will be an extensive options list to bring its price way up from the roughly $200,000 base price.

Taken for a Ride

Even though the new Mercedes-Maybach S600 is shorter than the old Maybach 57, and thus far more maneuverable, it offers more room in the rear passenger compartment. The launch event for the press was designed so we could spend ample time back there, since this is how many customers will experience the car. Both rear seats recline like business-class seats on an aircraft, and together with extending footrests, they make it easy to work, watch a movie, or simply fall asleep. Daimler claims it offers the quietest rear passenger compartment of any car in production. We believe it. However, we also think that Daimler needs to take a hard look at the rear-seat entertainment system, which is slow and fiddly.

Powered by the familiar 6.0-liter twin-turbo V-12, a 36-valve engine rated at 523 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque, the Mercedes-Maybach accelerates with alacrity. The company claims a 0-to-60-mph time of 5.0 seconds. Keep pressing the pedal, and a feeling that reasonably approximates a corporate jet at takeoff continues up to the 155-mph limiter.

There is no mistaking that this is a large car, yet the driving experience is hardly different from that of a regular S-class. Our test car was equipped with an air suspension that reacts to camera-scanned road-surface data. Mercedes-Benz has refined this system to a remarkable level since our experience with a prototype, and it is quite apt at recognizing speed bumps. But it is not entirely unfallible, so we would discourage the chauffeur from sailing over speed bumps at highway velocities. It may catch four in a row, but the fifth one could send the precious passengers and their silver-plated champagne flutes flying.

Maybach-Exclusive Touches

Besides the aforementioned champagne flutes, Maybach-exclusive interior features include bespoke wood trim inspired by the S-class coupe as well as hand-stitched leather on the door panels. A full-length center console with deployable work tables is optional. For all this, though, Daimler could do more to differentiate the Maybach from the regular S600. The car was rushed to market on a tight schedule, and it would benefit from a few more Maybach-specific features.

The changes to the exterior are rather more convincing. Aside from the extra length, the front and rear fascias are based on those of the standard S-class (which everyone foregoes in favor of the AMG package in the U.S.) but receive an extra dollop of chrome. The greenhouse is restyled with a rear-quarter window in the C-pillar, an almost Bentley-esque flourish. And there are exclusive colors and massive 20-inch bowl-shaped aluminum wheels that are not available on any other S-class.

Customers who miss the space of the old Maybach 62, fear not: At the Geneva auto show, Daimler will launch the Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman. But whether you go Pullman or not, the upper-luxury segment has just met its new technology leader—after all, it is based on the S-class, itself a technology leader.